The Tasting Panel magazine

November 2011

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SIPPED & SCENE And the Beat "Charleston was once the rage, uh huh History has turned the page, uh huh . . . " The Beat Goes On, written by Sonny Bono T Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis and "Dr. Mixology" Darryl Robinson. he last leg of my long-winded West Coast spirited tour was in San Francisco for Cocktail Week. On a beautiful Indian summer Friday, I bid adieu to the City by the Bay by celebrat- ing the art of indulgence, starting with a seasonal cocktail tasting at The Four Seasons San Francisco. Resident mix- master, Oliver Lee honed his behind-the- stick skills with a background in wine. No doubt, his expertise in pairing food and (and the Booze) Goes On BLAINE ASHLEY SIPS HER WAY FROM SAN FRANCISCO BACK TO MANHATTAN Starlight Room's Harry Denton and GM Michael Pagan and drag queens from the "Sunday's a Drag" event. drink lent to the spot-on autumn cocktail program he created featuring drinks like the Pomme Oil, a tipple taking inspiration from salted ice cream paired with a fresh Appletini, and his delectable Fig and Apple Sidecar. Following my impressive liquid tasting experience, I got my edible taste on with a hedonistic wine pairing dinner at Taj Campton Place. And I even made room to cap off the night with one more trip back to the infamous Starlight Room, where I ran into Harry Denton, who complimented my shoes while we gabbed about our mutual admiration for our dear friend, Tony Abou-Ganim. After three weeks on the road, it felt a little odd to get back to my East Coast digs. But I was walking into New York Food and Wine, so there was no time to sweat and only two days to get back in the swing before getting my spirits swagger back on. On the eve of foodie bliss, I made a cocktail date with Mary Ann Reilly from Dress the Drink. She wanted to hit something hip but with good food. After hearing raves about the wine program at Lambs Club, and about their delicious cuisine and cool scene, we paid a visit. To our surprise, the choice proved "choice," starting with a delightful run-in with Billie Doyle of Compass Box Whiskey and Michaelangelo Wines. The next night, I hit sleek event space 82 Mercer for Meatball Madness, hosted The Pomme Oil is a cocktail created by Oliver Lee at The Four Seasons San Francisco, taking inspira- tion from salted ice cream paired with a fresh Appletini. 46 / the tasting panel / november 201 1 by Giada De Laurentiis. There were literally three rooms of nothing but meatballs made by NYC's top chefs in-between welcoming wine bars and a Negroni corner featuring a classic concoction by Richie Boccato of Dutch Kills and The Cooking Channel's Darryl Robinson. On Saturday, I hit the Harvard Club for a late-night fĂȘte with Iron Chef's Morimoto filleting fish for spectators. Phew! I survived round one of "Welcome Back to New York" and happily grabbed another couple of days rest before a Tuesday limoncello lunch at classic city resto A .J. Maxwell's. Robert Haynes-Peterson and Francine Cohen cracked crabs, lobster and shared family-style plates with Villa Massi producer Gabrielle Langella. The beat and the booze do go on. La di da de da . . .

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